Selector control device for circular knitting machines



L. FONTAINE July 9, 1968 SELECTOR CONTROL DEVICE FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 18, 1965 INVENTOR. A. For: tad/7e;

TTOKNESS July 9, 1968 L. FONTAINE 3,391,549-

SELECTOR CONTROL DEVICE FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 18, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvamoa. L, Fan 15 cu'ne.

9, L, FQNTAINE SELECTOR CONTROL DEVICE FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 18, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet a INVENTOR. L F'on faa'ne ahama ATTORNEBS United States Patent 669,215 4 Claims. (Cl. 6650) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A selector control device for circular knitting machines provides in each creel a degree of freedom for the strips of the creel so that they can move to an intermediate position before being brought to their working position. This is attained by means displacing and pivoting each strip in a horizontal plane.

The present invention relates to improvements in the selector control device for circular knitting machines belonging to the type comprising a pin-carrier drum and a sliding strip creel in radial alignment with respect to the needle-carrier cylinder of the machine. In devices of this kind, each strip of a creel can slide longitudinally in the latter when a pin of the corresponding pin-carrier drum engages an extremity of aforesaid strip, the other extremity of the latter then being placed in the projecting trajectory provided for this purpose on the selectors. Each one of said pin-carrier drums carries out a step-by-step rotary motion about its axis.

This well known device has the disadvantage of allowing a certain dead time between the withdrawal of a strip from the working into the idle position and the putting of another strip into the working position. In practice this results in an irregular zone which is very visible in the knitted work, in the rear inner part of a sock leg, above the heel. It follows therefrom that the knitted article shows at this place a bad connection of the pattern, which has a particularly bad look. At the present knitting speeds, the aforementioned dead time of the selector control device may be such that between the withdrawal of a strip and the headway of another one into the active position, six needles may pass in front of the creel without any of them being properly controlled.

The object of the present invention is to do away with this disadvantage. To this etfect, it suggests an improved creel in which a plurality of strips have an additional degree of freedom by means of which they are enabled to occupy an intermediate position before they are brought into active position by the corresponding pins of the pincarrying drum, this intermediate position diminishing the stroke which is needed for bringing said strip into active position during the withdrawal into either position of one or several other strips, in such a manner that the dead time during the change is considerably reduced.

In order to show more clearly the characteristic features and advantages of aforementioned improvements, the invention will now be described in full detail below with reference to the appended drawings of which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a circular knitting machine head equipped with selector control devices according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of an improved creel conforming to the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-section along the line III-III of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view in the direction of arrow F4 of FIGURE 2;

Patented July 9, 1968 "ice FIGURE 5 illustrates on an enlarged scale, a detail of the creel according to FIGURES 2-4;

FIGURES 6, 7 and 8 illustrate diagrammatically the operation of the selector control device according to the present invention.

A type of machine in which the selector control device according to the present invention is intended to be used, comprises for instance a needle-carrier cylinder 1 surrounded by an envelope 2 in the cylindrical surface of which windows 3 are provided. Facing each one of said windows 3, there are several aligned devices radially disposed with respect to cylinder 1 and each consisting of a creel 4 with sliding blades and a pin-carrying drum 5.

Each of the latter, well known as such, comprises a ratchet wheel 6 capable of being driven step-by-step by an appropriate device 7.

Each creel 4 consists of a base plate 8 carrying four uprights 91011 and 12 respectively, capped by a top plate 13. The faces pointing toward the inside of the uprights 9-12 are provided with a plurality of slots 14 into which are inserted the sliding strips 15. In the space comprised between the base plate 8 and the top plate 13 there are also two rods 16 and 17, respectively, to which can be hooked the eyelets 18' of return-springs 19, whereby the other end 20 of each one of these springs is hooked onto projections 21 of each strip 15.

In the illustrated example aforesaid lower strips have an extra degree of freedom which enables them to carry out a slight lateral rocking motion for which purpose the eight corresponding slots of upright 10 are made slightly deeper, as illustrated in 22. This rocking motion of the lower strips 15 is controlled by a comb-like spring 23 fastened onto said upright 10 by means of clamping screws 24. The amplitude of the lateral rocking motion of the strips 15 can be limited by an adjustable stop consisting of a metal strip 25 which has, in the vicinity of its ends, oblong holes 26, the strip in question being fastened onto the rear face of aforesaid upright 10 by means of clamping screws 27 passing through said oblong holes 26.

The selector control device described above operates in the following way: when a pin 28 (FIGURE 6) engages the slanting end 29 of a strip 15, the latter is tipped sideways and bears against the stop 25. At this moment, another pin 28' which still engages a strip 15' to be brought back into the idle position, is at the extreme limit of the heel of that strip (FIGURE 8). When pin 28 rotates further, it pushes strip 15 forward, whereby the latter is then guided for instance by said stop 25. In this way, the dead time between the exchange of sliding strips is reduced to the very minimum, which makes it possible to obtain a perfect junction of the pattern, especially in the lower part of the leg, at the top of the heel of the knitted sock.

It is quite evident that the device which has been described above may be altered in several ways without exceeding the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Selector control device for circular knitting machines having creels and sliding strips, wherein each creel consists of a base plate, four uprights carried by said base plate and a top plate covering said uprights, the inwardly directed faces of said uprights having a series of slots accommodating said sliding strips, a plurality of slots in one of said uprights being deeper than the other slots, and springs engaging the strips located in said deeper slots and tending to push the strips out of the slots.

2. A selector control device according to claim 1, wherein said springs consist of a single comb-like part made of steel spring.

3. Selector control device according to claim 1, further comprising an adjustable stop, the superior degree 3 4 of freedom of the strips engaged in said deep slots being References Cited controlled by said adjustable stop. UNITED STATES PATENTS 4. Selector control device according to claim 3,

wherein said adjustable slot consists of a metal strip pro- 2,067,877 1/1937 Lawson et a1 66 50 vided near its ends with two oblong holes, said device 5 6 3 2 h u 1 II! furt er compnsm two clamping screws extending thro gh 3,229,482 1/1966 Farmer said oblong holes, whereby this strip is fastened onto the side face of said upright provided with deep slots, by said WM. CARTER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner clamping screws. 

